Antonelli 174.qxp 8/9/10 3:52 PM Page 22
W e’ve all seen examples of great logos that work well on a business card, but fail miserably in the outdoor realm because of format and size issues.
Quite often, this is because the logo was designed to work only horizontally or vertically. This is unfair to the client, because there are times when they may be forced to use their logo in the opposite format—which can decrease the effectiveness of the graphic.
When a vertical logo is “forced” on a truck door, for example, it often doesn’t work as
For vertical use
For horizontal use
in relation to the typography has been changed, the branding remains intact. In this instance we are really trying to reinforce this icon.
If we had simply blown up all the lettering on the horizontal version, it wouldn't have been as effective a way of prioritizing the icon and typography—nor would have it been as interesting.
22 SignCraft | September/October 2010 | www.signcraft.com

Antonelli 174.qxp 8/9/10 3:52 PM Page 24
, designed to work within the constraints of the HHRs available canvas. Even though this isn't their exact logo as illustrated below, we keep the branding intact by using the primary element of the main logo. Note that for visual interest, we added the tagline in a creative way, and also had him sitting on some dirt.We used the same graphics in their two-sided business card, with the primary brand on one side, and the modified icon usage on the second side.
For vertical use
, which integrates primary brand usage and the modified icon from the vehicle advertising.
24 SignCraft | September/October 2010 | www.signcraft.com

Antonelli 174.qxp 8/9/10 3:52 PM Page 25
For vertical use well. The natural canvas of a truck door calls for a vertical format. The horizontal logo may have to be significantly reduced in size to fit the door—decreasing readability and impact.
Conversely, if you are designing a post sign, and the clients logo is in a horizontal format, the logo may well look awkward with a traditional vertical post sign structure.
We generally avoid this issue by doing a little more research upfront with the client.
We make a specific inquiry into the type of vehicles they have, and plan accordingly.
Often, when we pitch the logo concepts, we also show a quick mockup of the logo being implemented on their vehicle. This serves to help the client better envision the integration of their brand.
We might also show how the brand is integrated on a business card. The one thing
I have learned—even after having designed over 500 logos—is that clients can’t foresee anything. And I tend to forget that sometimes, because in my mind I already know and can
“see” how their brand is going to be designed for the truck, card and Web site. The client, on the other hand, really doesn’t have the vision to see the possible uses and needs.
An additional way to consider the logo design formatting issue is to design for both vertical and horizontal usage, right from the beginning. This often resolves any future issue. It gives the client a way to keep their brand intact, yet be able to use it for varying space requirements.
Sometimes, with panel-based logos and
For horizontal use
doesn't specifically lend itself to either the horizontal or vertical versions, so we modified the proportions for better distance legibility—while still not sacrificing the primary branding.
www.signcraft.com
| September/October 2010 | SignCraft 25

Antonelli 174.qxp 8/9/10 3:52 PM Page 26
For horizontal use Vertical version used on business card
For horizontal use
For horizontal use
26 SignCraft | September/October 2010 | www.signcraft.com
For vertical use
For vertical use logos with elements heavily integrated, this is not possible. But if you have a more simplified logo, it’s usually pretty easy to arrange the elements to build both versions of the brand.
Here are a few examples of brands we’ve designed recently, and how we worked to build various formats according to the usage, while still maintaining the brand identity.
• SC
Dan Antonelli owns Graphic D-Signs, Inc.
in Washington, New Jersey. He is the author of Logo Design for Small Business I and II .
His newly-redesigned Web site: www.signshopmarketing.com caters to the marketing needs of sign shops. He can be reached at dan@graphicd-signs.com, and you can follow him at http://twitter.com/graphicdsigns.